As acclaimed directors such as Hayao Miyazaki or Satoshi Kon have gone out to prove time and again, anime isn't just a means for children to pass time. It is a universal art form that, if given the proper time and resources, can match if not surpass the same tonal and thematic density of live-action films such as Black Swan or Inception, two films that actually owe their stories and concepts to anime director Satoshi Kon.
The 2010s brought about a great generation of anime films for new and long-time anime fans to enjoy, as studio juggernauts such as Studio Ghibli were in great form while relative newcomers such as Masaaki Yuasa and Makoto Shinkai were defining their careers.
10 When Marnie Was There
When Marnie Was There is a unique coming-of-age story that focuses on the hidden friendship between Anna Sasaki and the titular Marnie. Anna is a young girl that suffers from severe asthma attacks which have made interacting with other people and making friends difficult with her. Per recommendations from her doctor, Anna spends some time in a seaside town to see if the clear air can help her health improve.
However, while there, she discovers an abandoned house and the mysterious girl who lives there, Marnie. Marnie becomes Anna's friend, and her cheery attitude helps Anna flourish. However, as the two grow closer, Anna begins to learn more about Marnie's strange circumstances.
9 Weathering With You
Makoto Shinkai is a rising force among the anime industry whose hyper-realistic animation and youthful writing has attracted millions between Japan and the world. Weathering with You is his follow up to Your Name and, coming during an era constantly under threat from environmental consequences, it tells its romance story amidst a seemingly never-ending rain in Tokyo.
Hodaka Morishima is a high school student who ran away from home to make it big in Tokyo. He miraculously finds a job with an underground tabloid magazine whose exploits help him meet the mysterious Sunshine Girl, a girl who's magically able to summon sunlight through Tokyo's endless clouds. As the two try to use her power for good, they suddenly find that it comes at a grave price.
8 I Want To Eat Your Pancreas
In I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, Sakura Yamauchi is afflicted with a deadly pancreatic disease. Not being able to tell her own friends, Sakura turns to the Haruki Shiga, a seemingly emotionless boy who stumbles upon her secret, as her only confidant and solace during this harsh period of her life.
During Sakura's journey to live what seems like the last moments of her life to the fullest, Haruki's hard exterior begins to melt, and he starts to see the true meaning of living. With the help of some stunning animation, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas has blossomed within the industry as a must-watch.
7 Liz And The Blue Bird
Few movies as a whole manage to use body language and music as distinctly and effectively as Kyoto Animation's Liz and the Blue Bird. That's saying something given that this isn't a fantastical epic. Taking place in the same world as the anime series, Sound! Euphonium, Liz and the Blue Bird tells a simple story about two friends growing apart as each one pursues high school and music differently.
What helps set this film apart from others is how acclaimed female director Naoko Yamada uses its stunning animation helps accentuate gestures and emotions in a way that rivals live performances, and how the music in this film almost becomes a character of its own as the audience is able to identify with changes and fluctuations with every note.
6 Wolf Children
Mamoru Hosoda has risen as one of the anime industry's biggest directors and as one of the main purveyors of creative family content. Telling homey stories that adults and children can enjoy, Hosoda uses the power of animation to combine human emotion with grandiose plots and concepts. One of his outings has been Wolf Children.
This tells the story of a young woman, Hana, who falls in love with a werewolf in hiding. After he dies in a sudden accident, Hana is left to take care of their half-wolf, half-human children by herself. Struggling as a single mother, she moves them out to the countryside where she works to raise them, protect their secret, as well as cultivate a healthy farm.
5 Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms
Anime has famously used high fantasy television styles to tell epic adventure stories as well as define the new isekai genre. However, with Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, high fantasy isn't just used to encapsulate a large world. It's used to accentuate the emotions and beauty of a truly unique yet incredibly impactful situation.
In this film, an immortal girl loses her village to a human rampage; and in her attempt to run, she finds a human baby. Lost and with no family of her own, the girl decides to raise the child herself and faces the trials and tribulations of being both a single mother and seeing someone she loves grow right past her.
4 The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a classic story within Japanese folklore that sees new life from Studio Ghibli. In the film adaptation, a bamboo cutter named Okina discovers a tiny baby within one of the stalks. He believes the girl, Kaguya, is a princess sent from heaven, so he decides to raise her as his own.
Kaguya enjoys life in his village and grows to become a spirited and youthful girl. However, Okina takes her away from her peaceful life when he finds a large amount of treasure in the forest. He becomes dead set on making Kaguya a real princess; but as he does, Kaguya begins to show her true purpose in the world.
3 A Silent Voice
A Silent Voice is one of Kyoto Animation's most successful films to date and one of the biggest anime films to come out in recent years. It focuses on Shouya Ishida, a troubled kid who's struggled to find his way in the world, but gets a second chance to redeem himself when he comes across the deaf girl that he used to bully as a child, Shouko Nishimiya.
As he learns more about her life and how harshly his bullying affected her, Shouya begins to see his outlook on life change and begins to form new friendships. He sees his relationship with Shouko begin to grow; but as his past begins to catch up with him, Shouya struggles once again with his sense of self and actions.
2 The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl
Coming off the imagination and surrealism of his seminal anime series, The Tatami Galaxy, Masaaki Yuasa creates a spiritual sequel in his film, The Night is Short, Walk on Girl. While the stories and characters differ a little, this film continues Yuasa's exploration of romance through the misguided adventures of youth.
Here, a mysterious girl with black hair explores Japan's streets, attracted to every bar run, book event, and local play along the way. Following suit is her secret admirer who will do anything to get her attention (besides talking to her). As they experience all of the mysterious wonders that the night has to offer, fate slowly brings them closer.
1 Your Name
Despite having made a few other works along the way, Makoto Shinkai's true, breakout project is the critically-acclaimed romance story, Your Name. Here, two kids grow up in very different parts of Japan.
Mitsuha lives in rural Japan where she dreams of finding a grander life and adventure. Taki is a boy from Tokyo who just takes every day as it comes. Suddenly, despite seemingly having never met before, the two begin to switch bodies. Having to live each other's lives, the two begin to know each other in a way that no one else in their lives has. However, when their switching suddenly stops, it's up to Taki to learn the mysterious circumstances surrounding them.
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July 04, 2021 at 12:14AM
